The Circle of Dimensions
by ArchimedesAckermann
Summary: When a reversed Anima focuses on Little Whinging, Surrey, the little Hero, Harry Potter, is whisked away to a new world located in another dimension circle. Now, he is no longer Harry Potter, Boy Who Lived, but Kazoku Milkovich, Lieutenant under Ultear of the Seven Kin of Purgatory. Stranded between two worlds, he must cope with possibly losing his family forever.
1. Chapter 1

**Hallo! This is ArchimedesAckermann, and this is the rewritten version of my original, Master of the Mind. You don't need to read that unless you want to. So, I changed a few things, and I hope you guys like this!**

 **Enjoy!**

In Surrey, England, on one tragic night of October, a baby boy with dark black hair and eyes that shone a sharp green was left on the doorstep of Mrs Petunia Dursley and Mr Vernon Dursley. After the man with the long white beard and the lady who was a cat vanished into the night, lightning flashed in the sky that had been cloudless moments ago. In the dark broiling clouds, a portal opened up, seeking magic of any form. In the small town of Little Whinging, Surrey, there was only one little source of magic, and he was sucked into the portal. The portal closed, and the clouds dispersed, with Harry Potter in tow.

*line break*

In a forest of the kingdom of Fiore, a young boy by the name Mystogan turned away from a once cloudy sky. His eyes were filled with relief and determination. "Sorry, father, but I'm shutting down any Anima I can."

*line break*

In a majestic castle in Scotland, Albus Dumbledore popped a lemon drop in his mouth in agitation. Minerva McGonagall glared. "What do you mean you don't know where Harry Potter is?"

Dumbledore pinched the bridge of his nose, fighting the guilt and despair boiling in him. "His relatives said that they never received him. All I hope is that no Death Eater got him."

McGonagall stared at him, eyes old. "Albus, we promised James and Lily."

"I know," the old man replied, world weary and tired. "I know."

"What do we do?" the woman demanded, refusing to believe that the legacy of the Potters was gone.

Dumbledore rested his forehead on his hands. "We search and search endlessly, and we refuse to give up hope."

"Albus, what if he is gone? We can't search for him for years on end! We need to move on from this war. You-Know-Who is gone, and being hung up on Harry Potter will only lead to heartache," McGonagall reasoned, looking terribly lost and sad.

"If we cannot find him, I will tell the public," Dumbledore decided. "What I did was foolish, and I should face the consequences."

McGonagall paled. "But the repercussions will be catastrophic. Harry Potter is a hero, and if the public knows that we were responsible for his whereabouts, they will call for our blood."

"Maybe we will find him, but if we don't, I will pay the consequences. You need to stay here," Dumbledore told the Deputy Headmistress. "Do not argue with me. You need to help the Wizarding World rebuild."

*line break*

A tall teenage girl with pitch black hair and ruby eyes peered down at the little bundle that had appeared before her. The young pink haired girl next to her cooed softly. "Look, Ultear! He's so small and cute!"

Ultear let a small smile touch her lips. "Yes, he is very cute."

"Can we keep him?" Meredy asked, her wide eyes hopeful and pleading. She knew her mother figure would never be able to say no to her puppy face.

The older girl pursed her lips, trying to look anywhere but at Meredy's face. After a bit, she sighed, relenting. "Fine, we can. It doesn't seem like he has anywhere else to go anyway." They had stumbled upon the baby in a dark alleyway in Crocus after a mission.

Meredy cheered, scooping up the child in her arms. "Aren't you adorable?" she murmured to the baby, who blinked his wide green eyes up at her and reached up with his chubby hands to pat her face softly. "Awwww," she squealed, hugging the baby to her chest. "Can I name him, Ultear?"

Ultear nodded. "Of course, as long as there's no tag naming him already."

The younger girl dug through the blankets around the baby, searching for any indication of the baby's name. "There's nothing," Meredy informed her mother figure with glee.

"Then what would you like to name him?" Ultear prompted.

Meredy scrunched up her face in thought, before lighting up like a Christmas tree. "Kazoku! Since he's going to be part of our family now!" Meredy exclaimed.

A soft smile spread over Ultear's expression. "Kazoku. I like it."

*line break*

"Meredy-nee-chan!" a two year old Kazoku cried out, running after his older sister on chubby legs. "Wait!"

The pink haired girl laughed, kneeling down with arms spread for a hug. Kazoku squealed and threw himself into his sister's embrace. "You're very active, Kazoku," Meredy teased, poking the little boy's tummy.

"Nee-chan! Stop!" said little boy protested, pouting cutely.

Ultear walked into the room, frowning. Meredy looked up, tilting her head to the side. "Ultear, is everything ok?"

"Yes, yes," Ultear answered absentmindedly, brushing off Meredy's concern. "You just focus on training for now." She gave Kazoku a soft smile. "You too, Kazoku. You need to grow up to be strong and powerful."

Kazoku blinked up at her. "Me strong!" he boasted, holding up a chubby little arm.

Meredy giggled, using a finger to prod the arm. "Oh yeah, definitely," she indulged the little boy.

Kazoku pouted, catching onto her sarcasm. "I'mma grow strong!" he promised, looking up at his family with a pure adoration only a child could have. "And protect Meredy-nee-chan and Ultear-nee-san!"

*line break*

"Ultear-nee-san! I decided on a magic to learn! Well, actually, I have two, and I can't decide between the two," Kazoku admitted, smiling a bit sheepishly.

Ultear patted the five year old's head affectionately. "You could always learn both magics, depending on what they are."

"I want to learn Requip, and Nullification Magic," Kazoku told her excitedly. "Can I learn both?"

"Yeah, definitely," Ultear confirmed.

Kazoku smiled at his big sister, even though lately, she had become busier and a lot stricter with him. "When can I start?"

Ultear glanced at the clock. "You can start whenever you want, with meditation. I need to get to a meeting." She gave him one last dismissive pat on the head before leaving the room.

Kazoku deflated slightly, looking after his sister's retreating figure forlornly. He just wanted her to pay him some attention!

"Ultear's just busy," Meredy said softly, as she comforted her little brother. "We're getting closer to finding Lord Zeref."

Oh. That was another thing Kazoku couldn't understand. Why were they so adamant about finding this strange man when everything was already so perfect? They had their own little family, and what else did they need?

The little boy shrugged. "Okay. I'm going to go meditate now."

*line break*

When Kazoku was ten years old, they found Zeref.

"But…" the boy said haltingly, intimidated by having the Seven Kin of Purgatory's attention on himself, "...wouldn't that mean war with Fairy Tail?"

Zancrow, the Fire God Slayer, cackled mockingly. "Oh is the little boy scared of some fairies?"

Kazoku bristled angrily, glaring at the God Slayer, but before he could speak, Ultear silenced him with a look. "Kazoku is right. Fairy Tail holds the position as the strongest guild in Fiore, and helped in the demise of the Oracion Seis."

"We should not underestimate our enemies," Capricorn agreed, calm as always.

Rustyrose nodded sagely, and started to sparkle. "Oh yes, let loose our desire! This will be an all-out war between our two guilds!"

Kazoku blinked at the man in confusion.

"Ifeelthesameway," Kain said, too fast for it to be coherent.

Meredy held up a finger solemnly. "I will translate what Kain just said: he said, 'I feel the same way'."

Ultear gazed at her two little adopted siblings. "Kazoku, Meredy, will you two fight?"

The pink haired girl nodded seriously. "I will."

"I will too," Kazoku echoed. Even though he had no interest in Zeref, his family was going off to fight, and he had promised to protect them even if they did not need it.

At the young age of ten, Kazoku was one of the highest ranking officers in the guild under the Kin.

A low, sinister chuckle broke into the Kin's conversation. "Interesting," Master Hades rumbled, lounging in his throne. "We are Grimoire Heart, the heart of the devil. And tonight, we Devils will hunt the Fairies." The man began glowing, his dark magic swirling around his person. "This is war, Fairy Tail!"

*line break*

Kazoku wandered about the pretty island, looking around curiously. "Ooh I don't think I've ever seen such a cute animal!" he exclaimed, crouching down to cuddle a small white creature with an orange cone for a nose.

The little creature shook on its knees, smiling up at him. "P-Plue!"

"Oh, is your name Plue?" Kazoku cooed, patting the cute creature's head.

It nodded happily.

"Plue? Plue, where did you run off to?" a female voice called out.

Kazoku looked up, blinking at the sight of a pretty blonde girl stepping onto the path he had been taking. She had glanced to the left first, and had not yet seen him. She must be a member of Fairy Tail.

"P-Plue!" the little creature called out, holding out its arms toward the girl, who must've been its master.

The girl turned around, and blinked in confusion when she saw Kazoku. "Uh," the girl asked in trepidation. "Who are you? Are you part of Fairy Tail? I've never seen you around, and—"

Kazoku sighed. Well, even though he was reluctant to attack these innocent Fairies, he did not want them to pose a threat to his family in their goal to obtain the Black Wizard Zeref. "I'm really sorry," he began, interrupting the girl, "but I can't disappoint my family." He raised a hand. "Requip: Wind Slicer!"

A long, thin sabre sword appeared in his hands.

"W-what are you—" the girl started, seriously confused, but also beginning to understand his hostile intentions.

He lunged at her, slashing his sword diagonally to maximize damage. He never did quite like fighting.

The girl frowned slightly when he took a swipe at her even though the blade wasn't even close to her body, but her eyes widened in understanding and she leapt to the side. However, she was a bit late, and the wind expelled from his sword was able to clip her side.

Not bad, not bad. She had brains at least.

"Lucy, where did you go?" another female voice called out in exasperation. "First Plue, now you—" A dark haired girl wearing a bikini top and brown khakis blinked at the scene. "Who are you?" she demanded, staring at Kazoku.

"Cana! He's an enemy!" the girl named Lucy cried out, clutching her wounded side in pain. "Watch out for his sword! It sends out wind that acts like an extension of his blade."

Cana whipped out a hand of cards, in a battle-ready position. Her eyes widened when they fell on his guild tattoo that was located on the left side of his neck. "You're from Grimoire Heart? But… why? And how?"

Kazoku smiled. It was not a happy smile, or a comforting one. It was one that promised the two girls pain. "I would like you to know that me attacking you is nothing personal. It's just that Grimoire Heart has declared full-out war with Fairy Tail. I am Kazoku Milkovich, and as one of the Lieutenants of the Seven Kin of Purgatory, I must participate in this war."

He did not allow the girls to respond, and charged.

Cana dodged his first thrust, and flung her cards at him. "SUMMONED LIGHTNING!"

Bolts of yellow lightning raced towards Kazoku, who held up his free left hand and made a sliding motion with it. The lightning diverged from its initial path towards him and hit the trees to his left.

"Nullification magic?" Cana mused, startled. It seemed to her that this young boy was more troublesome than he appeared.

Taking advantage of the girl's surprise, he launched a new attack.

"Watch out, Cana!" Lucy cried out, shoving the other girl out of the way before drawing a golden key. So this blonde girl was a Celestial Spirit Mage? Interesting. "Open! Gate of the Golden Bull: Taurus!"

A brilliant gold light flashed and a minotaur wielding a giant labrys appeared. "Moooo! What can I do for you, Lucy?"

"Get him!" she shouted, pointing at the boy.

The minotaur charged at him, swinging his weapon.

Kazoku raised an eyebrow, sidestepped the charging bull, ducked under a slice and sent his sword right through the Celestial Spirit.

"MOOOO! I'm sorry, Lucy, but I'm afraid that's all I can do!" Taurus exclaimed apologetically, vanishing with a flash of gold.

Lucy blinked, and stared at Kazoku. This young boy… he was powerful, and it seemed like he was out for their blood.

"Come on, Lucy, we got this!" Cana started hurling endless cards at the boy. "EXPLOSION!"

Nodding, Lucy grabbed another one of her keys. "Open! Gate of the Maiden: Virgo!"

The Celestial Spirit charged Kazoku, who was busy nullifying or dodging Cana's attacks. Kazoku pursed his lips in annoyance. "Requip: Stardayne Blade!" His sabre disappeared in a flash, replaced by a longsword. This sword did not cut through things; rather, it brought unimaginable pain to those it touched. Too much contact with the blade could lead to insanity or even death.

Kazoku ducked under the volley of cards, and swung out his sword in the direction of the Celestial Spirit. He sighed internally when the female dodged it neatly, and slammed a hand onto the ground, creating a hole underneath his feet. He flung out his hand, catching the rim of the opening.

"We got him!" Lucy cheered, watching Cana prepare the final incapacitating blow.

Kazoku rolled his eyes. "Requip: Flame Shield!" A rectangular shield resistant to flames appeared on his right arm, and the explosions from Cana's cards bounced harmlessly off of it.

"Cana?! Lucy?!" an unknown male voice cried out in alarm.

The two girls turned around, and Kazoku took that moment to swing himself out of the crater in the ground. He turned to face two new mages, both of which were male. He took a step back. Taking on all four mages would only result in his utter defeat, but at least if he fought, he could deal some blows to the enemy and stall them. Kazoku banished his shield, and stared at the mages. "The Seven Kin of Purgatory are coming. And you will not survive if you do not surrender."

The unfamiliar young man with black hair frowned. "Who the hell are you?"

"I am Kazoku, the Lieutenant serving under Ultear, the leader of the Seven Kin of Purgatory from Grimoire Heart. And I am here to tell you that you should surrender if you want to survive past today."

"Ultear?" the black haired boy in the purple shirt gasped out, eyes wide.

Kazoku tilted his head to the side. "You know her?"

"Shut up, Gray!" Cana said in exasperation. "He's our enemy right now, and there's no time to talk."

"That is true," Kazoku agreed. "Requip: Wind Slicer! Requip: Stardayne Blade!" The two swords materialized in his two hands, and he spread his legs into a fighting stance. "Come. We will fight until one side drops."

*line break*

"Shit," Kazoku cursed, laying on the ground of the forest in agony. Every part of his body seemed to be bruised, and even breathing hurt.

The four mages stood over him, all panting and beaten up as well. "Talk! Why is Grimoire Heart attacking us?" Loke demanded.

The defeated mage rolled his eyes. "Knowing that won't help you win."

"So tell us," Cana retorted, impatient.

He sighed. "We are attacking because the Black Wizard Zeref is on the island."

Silence.

"Zeref?"

"That's impossible!"

"He's dead!"

Kazoku attempted a shrug. "That's why we're here, and if you don't believe me, that's your problem."

Before the four could respond, a sharp cracking noise caught their attention. Looking up at the sky, there was a glowing red beacon.

"That signal means there's an enemy coming," Gray said quietly.

"The main force of Grimoire Heart is closing in then," Kazoku said softly. He gave them a pitying look. "I don't think you have a chance against the Seven Kin of Purgatory."

Cana rolled her eyes. "We're the strongest guild in Fiore. We've defeated a lot of bad guys in the past."

"That's true, but it would do you good to not underestimate the Kin," Kazoku told them frankly. "They are all wielders of Lost Magic, and their power is unimaginable."

"We'll see about that," Loke retorted.

Gray nodded in agreement with Loke. "Fairy Tail is not to be underestimated either."

Kazoku smiled. "I wish you luck then."

After the four mages left, Kazoku painstakingly maneuvered himself into a sitting position. "The strongest legal guild vs the strongest dark guild. I wonder who will win this battle." He stared up at the sky, where the red beacon still glowed brightly. "This battle… I suppose my role here is done."

And he allowed himself to fall into unconsciousness.

*line break*

When Kazoku woke up, he was very disoriented.

"W-what?" he mumbled, blinking weary eyes. Then he realized he was on a small boat in the middle of the ocean. "H-huh?" He sat up, and immediately decided that was not a good idea.

"Kazoku!" Meredy laid a hand on his shoulder. "You need to rest. You've been hurt pretty badly."

He blinked at his sister, and realized that it was just him, Meredy and Ultear. "What happened? Where is everyone else?"

"We lost. Fairy Tail defeated us," Ultear said softly. "Zeref is gone. And we won't be looking for him like that ever again."

Kazoku blinked at his oldest sister. She was different. "Ultear-nee-san, are you okay?"

She turned around, and gave him a small smile that spoke of regret, hope, love and sorrow. "Yeah. I'm fine, Kazoku."

*line break*

"Ultear-nee-san, I'm joining Crime Sorciére whether you like or not!" Kazoku yelled, eyes flashing in frustration.

"Why?" she shouted back. "Why are you throwing away your life to spend it with us, who are trying to atone for our sins? Why can't you move onto a path of light? We're only going to drag you down deeper into darkness!"

"I have sins too!" he retorted angrily. Ultear snorted derisively. "And you guys are my family! I'm not leaving you even if I have to forfeit my path in the light!"

Meredy stepped forward. "Ultear, listen to Kazoku! He's part of our family! Who else will he go to if we forsake him as well?"

Ultear gritted her teeth. "We'll constantly be dealing with dark guilds and mages! This is not a path of light, only atonement that doesn't even cleanse all of our sins! Kazoku, you haven't done as much as we have! You're only ten years old, you still have a—"

"I don't care about that! I want to be with you and Meredy-nee-chan!" Kazoku interrupted her heatedly, eyes almost glowing as his magic power rose in response to his desperation. "I don't care," he repeated.

His oldest sister stared at him, breathing heavily.

Jellal, who had been standing by the entire time the little family had been arguing, stepped in. "Ultear, he's part of your family…"

Ultear had a conflicted expression on her face, as if she herself genuinely did not want Kazoku to leave them, but felt morally obligated to convince him to do so. "...fine. Do as you wish."

Kazoku did not smile; only relief washed over his expression. "I'm sorry, Ultear-nee-san."

When she stayed silent, Jellal glanced at her with slight guilt but reached over to lay a hand on Kazoku's shoulder. "Welcome to the guild."

*line break*

Kazoku loved Crime Sorciére much more than he had ever loved Grimoire Heart. It was just him, Meredy, Ultear and Jellal, one little family. They watched out for each other and he wished that nothing would ever change, that it would stay perfect.

They travelled constantly, taking down dark guilds that attempted to fill the power vacuum caused by the fall of Grimoire Heart and tracking Zeref, who seemed to fall of the face of Earthland from time to time.

Kazoku liked Jellal. Jellal was nice, funny, awkward and the older brother he never had. But there were two things that constantly separated Ultear, Jellal, and sometimes Meredy from Kazoku.

Sorrow and remorse.

Sometimes, at night, after a long day of travel or battle, Jellal would hang his head, sitting away from the campfire, and just stare into the starry night sky, emitting such grief and regret that it made Kazoku's heart hurt as well. Ultear would lean against a tree, and stare into the fire, as if she was seeing a past that could have been but wasn't. Meredy would lay down on a sleeping bag, close her eyes and allow her tears to seep from her eyelids.

It hurt oh so terribly to witness his beloved family suffer, but Kazoku was at a loss for what to do.

How could he ever relate to them when he could not recognize that dark, haunted look in their eyes? How could he help when they looked to each other for empathy, silently enduring their demons together?

But when Jellal smiled fondly at him, when Ultear mothered him with a warm expression and when Meredy laughed happily along with him, Kazoku promised himself that he would be happy so that when his family ever needed him to pull them from their own darkness, he would be there.

Nothing would stop him from that.

*line break*

"Where the hell did that guy magic me off to?"

Kazoku blinked, disoriented, as he gauged his surroundings. He was standing in an alley between two tall buildings. Everything was… different. Perhaps this was the Alvarez Empire, which was fascinating. Kazoku had heard of the empire before, of course, and its notoriety had intrigued him.

He looked around. Did the Alvarez Empire speak a different language? He was pretty sure they didn't, so why couldn't he recognize anything written on the buildings?

So… was he therefore not in the Alvarez Empire?

He pushed down panic. He knew of alternate dimensions, namely Edolas, but was there really a type of magic that could transport someone to another dimension so readily?

 _"Arc of Dimensions: WORLD JUMP!"_

Once again, Kazoku was reminded of why Lost Magic was supposed to be lost. It was way too powerful. Ultear's Arc of Time, that was effectively undefeatable, and now the Arc of Dimensions? The power to relocate another person or object to an entirely new world?

He breathed in deeply, attempting to calm himself. How the hell was he supposed to communicate here?

Before anything else could happen, two loud CRACKS sounded right in front of him. Kazoku jumped in surprise and apprehension, instinctively requipping his Wind Slicer to his hand.

Holding the sabre in front of him, he stared suspiciously at the man and woman in front of him. They were dressed quite strangely, for the man's clothing seemed to be like a dress and they were both wearing pointy hats.

The man, who was quite old, opened his mouth to speak, but all Kazoku heard was gibberish. "Um, sorry, I don't understand what you're saying," he said cautiously.

The woman raised a polished and embellished wooden stick, and Kazoku brought up his sword reflexively, activating his Nullification Magic. The old man held up his hands in a surrendering gesture, pointing to his throat and spouting some more gibberish.

Kazoku blinked. Were they going to do some translation spell? Either way, he wasn't going to allow some stranger to cast something at him.

"Young man, can you understand me now?" the woman asked.

"Oh, yes," Kazoku answered, nodding. "Who are you?"

"I am Minerva McGonagall. If you would, please point that sword elsewhere," she requested.

Kazoku only angled the sword away from the duo, still not taking his chances. "What do you want with me?"

"There's… quite a bit… to be explained," McGonagall admitted. "That is if you don't know anything about magic."

Kazoku raised an eyebrow. "I do know about magic. I wield magic myself."

"What do you know about the British Wizarding World?" the old man asked, looking slightly relieved but also wary.

"I… don't know what that is," Kazoku replied, sure that he was in another world. Then, who was he to trust? He stared at the two, suddenly aware of how helpless he was.

"So you know of magic, but not the Wizarding World?" the old man wondered aloud. "Well, let us start with our own explanations. You, young man, are famous in our world."

Kazoku started in shock. "What? You don't even know me!"

McGonagall sighed. "This is why there's a lot to be explained. It would be best if we moved somewhere else." She looked at him expectantly.

The young boy frowned at them. "I'm fine with right here."

"If you insist then," the woman said, shrugging. She waved her wand, and the air around them shimmered. With another flick, three comfy armchairs appeared. "Might as well make ourselves comfortable."

Kazoku glanced suspiciously at the magic around them. "What did you cast just now?"

"I cast a Notice Me Not spell on our surroundings so no Muggle will stumble upon us," the woman explained patiently.

"What's a Muggle?"

"A Muggle is a nonmagical person, and a wizard or witch can use magic," McGonagall started. "I do not know what your name is right now, but to us, you are known as Harry Potter, the Boy Who Lived. Your parents, Lily and James Potter, fought in a war against the Dark Lord Voldemort. That war had been long, hard and devastating. It was at the Dark Lord's peak when your parents were killed. The Dark Lord had gone after them, and though he tried to kill you as well, he failed. Instead of killing you, his curse rebounded onto himself, resulting in his demise. You brought the end of the war, and that is why you are famous."

Kazoku blinked. "How do you know I am this Harry Potter?"

"You look just like your father, with your mother's eyes," McGonagall told him, voice a bit shaky. "We can also do a blood ritual to determine your ancestry if you want to."

That would probably be for the best, though he was leery of blood magic. Only the blackest magics dealt with blood. "Where can I have that done?"

"At Gringotts, the wizarding bank run by goblins," the old man replied easily.

Kazoku gazed at the two, mind racing. He was basically helpless at that moment, impaired by a language barrier, with no knowledge of this new world and no way home. The only option he had was to trust them. "Who are you though, to find me so quickly? Who are you in relation to me or my parents?"

"I am Albus Dumbledore, the Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry," the old man said, introducing himself. "I was the head of the armed forces opposing Lord Voldemort, and I was the Headmaster during your parents' years at Hogwarts as well. They were remarkable people. They were young when they joined the forces against Voldemort, but they quickly rose through the ranks, becoming generals in no time." He looked at Kazoku in the eye. "They died protecting you."

Dying for a loved one. Kazoku shivered.

McGonagall spoke next. "I am the Deputy Headmistress, also Head of House Gryffindor and Transfiguration professor." At Kazoku's questioning look, she elaborated. "There are four houses of Hogwarts: Slytherin of the cunning and ambitious, Gryffindor of the brave and courageous, Hufflepuff of the loyal and hardworking, and Ravenclaw of the intelligent and knowledge-seeking. And transfiguration is one of the core courses of Hogwarts. If you are willing to attend, more will be explained.

"I also knew your parents," the woman admitted. "They were the brightest students I'd ever had, and throughout the years of the war, your parents and I became colleagues and close friends." Her eyes glimmered with a sheen of tears. "They were wonderful people. So brave and selfless."

Kazoku wondered at that. His parents… they seemed so perfect. It was strange, comparing their descriptions to Jellal, who could be heard whispering "Erza" with such terrible, terrible regret and whose grey eyes were constantly shadowed with sorrow; and Ultear, who consistently suffered from what-ifs. "They seem… very… perfect."

"They did seem like they were perfect at times," McGonagall agreed. "Especially during the war. But during their Hogwarts years…" She let out a bittersweet laugh. "Your father, James, was a prankster and a bit of a bully as well. He loved taunting one particular Slytherin student, and sometimes took it too far."

The boy was quiet. "Did he regret it?"

"He certainly matured enough to stop bullying that Slytherin," McGonagall replied, not fully answering his question.

"Tell me more about Hogwarts," he inquired.

*line break*

Kazoku decided to trust Minerva McGonagall and Albus Dumbledore, to a limited extent, for the time being, seeing that he really had no other choice.

He would play along for now, attend his first year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, pretend to be the perfect little hero for the public, obtain a holistic understanding of this world in order to safely maneuver about, and then start researching for a way to get back home.

He was going to go home: back to Ultear, Meredy and Jellal. He wouldn't allow it to be otherwise.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N Wow! I, ah, did not expect so many follows/favorites... I opened my email the day after I'd posted the first chapter, and holy moly there were so many notifications! I was sooooo happy! Thank you all for showing me so much support! Updates will most likely slow down, because I need to study for midterms, which are this Thursday... Fun stuff! Especially when I have AP Chem first... IMMA DIE! jk I'll survive.**

 **Here's another chapter, featuring the dungeon bat, Professor Snape, who's a lot more neutral towards Harry, just letting y'all know.**

 **Beta'ed by the awesome _ImpracticalDemon_!**

 **Enjoy and don't forget to leave a review!**

As it was only the beginning of August, Dumbledore and McGonagall agreed to let Kazoku, who had decided to adopt his birth name for the time being, stay at Hogwarts until the start of the school year. The two were obviously curious as to where Harry had been for the past ten years, but the boy refused to tell them. It was not relevant.

However, seeing that the school was currently uninhabited, Dumbledore decided to introduce Harry to Hogwarts' head house elf, who would be in charge of the boy's well being until September.

"This is Tutti, the head of all of Hogwarts' house elves," Dumbledore said, gesturing at the small creature. "As Minerva and I are both quite busy over the summer, we unfortunately cannot accompany you during your stay here. Tutti will oversee your affairs and make sure that you comfortable and cared for."

Harry nodded, peering at the creature in curiosity. "Thank you very much, Headmaster. I apologize for being a bother."

The man shook his head. "Oh no, you are not a bother, Mr. Potter. I am very glad that you are here, safe and unharmed. I'm sorry I cannot stay to give you a tour of this magnificent school, but I must go. The minister seems to have trouble with a decision, again. Also, a staff member will arrive here some time near September to take you to Diagon Alley to buy your school supplies."

Harry indicated that he understood, and the old man bid him farewell before leaving the school.

"Should Master Harry desire a tour of Hogwarts, Tutti would be thrilled to give you one," the elf informed Harry, looking up at the wizard with bulbous eyes.

Harry nodded. "Yes please."

The house elf's small, round face split into a cheery smile. "Follow Tutti then!" The little elf turned right from the entrance of the school, and started walking. "This is one of the main hallways of Hogwarts and it leads towards the Great Hall, which is where all meals are held, along with any school-wide activities."

They entered a large hall almost a quarter of the size of Grimoire Heart's airship. Harry's eyes widened. "Wow," he breathed out in wonder and awe. The hall was majestic, stone walls polished and the ceiling's design was beautiful, taking on nature's form. It was empty, and Harry had never felt so small just standing there. "It's beautiful."

Tutti nodded happily. "Tutti thinks so too!"

"On the main floor, there is the Great Hall, the library, the entrance to the school, and the Headmaster's office," the elf told Harry, as they exited the majestic room and came across a set of staircases that could be seen zigzagging up and down almost endlessly. "There are seven floors above the main one, and two floors below it." The creature looked at Harry expectantly.

"I would like to see the floors below this one," Harry told Tutti politely, a bit overwhelmed. This was a huge castle!

"Then Tutti shall show you the dungeons," the little elf said resolutely. "The level closest to the main one is where the Potions classes are held, along with Professor Snape, the Potions professor's office. The lowest level is where the Slytherin House dormitories are."

The lower levels were darker, as there were no windows, but the flickering torches lit the hallways adequately.

"Now, the first floor above the main level is where the Transfiguration, Charms and Defense Against the Dark Arts classes are held. There are plenty of other classrooms, but they are unused. The Defense Against the Dark Arts professor is Professor Quirrell, Professor Flitwick teaches Charms and Professor McGonagall teaches Transfiguration. Their offices are also on this floor. Also, there are four sets of bathrooms scattered along here.

"The second floor is where the Gryffindor Tower is located, and there are many empty classrooms that can be used by a student, though most never do for some reason. The third floor is mostly never used. The fourth contains the Ravenclaw dormitories, and the History of Magic, Divination and Muggle Studies classrooms. Arithmancy and Ancient Runes classrooms are found on the fifth floor, along with their respective professors' offices. The Hufflepuff Tower is located on the sixth floor. And lastly, the seventh floor is unused save for the Astronomy Tower that is on the East wing of the castle."

After trekking through the entire castle, Harry found himself on the third floor. "Is this where my quarters are?"

"Master Harry is correct!" Tutti confirmed. He led Harry over to a painting of a black-maned lion standing next to a coiled up black mamba. "This is where your rooms are. You can set any password right now."

Harry blinked at the painting. "Fiore," he said softly.

The door swung open and they entered. "Woah," Harry exclaimed in delight. Instead of the bedroom he was expecting, the headmaster had prepared an entire suite for him. There was a living room, a study, a bedroom, a kitchen and a bathroom. "This is really nice!"

"Tutti is glad Master Harry likes his rooms! Headmaster Dumbledore told Tutti that Master Harry does not have his things with him, so Tutti will provide Master Harry with a catalogue of clothing that he should need. Then Tutti will go retrieve those things for Master Harry," the elf explained to Harry, producing a folded over piece of paper from his uniform and handing it to him.

Harry took the catalogue, and blinked when he unfolded it. There was certainly a large variety of clothing. After checking off a good amount, he handed it back to the elf. "Thanks, Tutti. I'll be heading to the library now."

"Dinner will be ready at 6:30 in your rooms, Master Harry."

*line break*

There were quite a few things he needed to do before school started.

First was to find out if transdimensional travel was possible in this world. If it was, figure out how it worked so he could get back to Earthland as soon as possible. If not… Harry would have to find a way to do so himself. And he would. He didn't like to think about the other possibility, where he might lose his family forever.

Harry looked around the large library. "Tutti!" he called out.

A quiet pop! sounded near him and the little elf appeared. "What does Master Harry need?"

"Is there a way for me find books without scouring the entire library?" That would be very time consuming and tedious, and Harry was not patient.

"Oh yes, there is a spell that will let you call books of a specific subject over using your voice," Tutti nodded. "It's not used during the school year because there are too many students talking about other things that the spell sometimes becomes confused. But Tutti will activate it for Master Harry." The little elf snapped his fingers and muttered a quick spell.

"Thanks, Tutti! Could you also retrieve some notebooks and pens?" Harry said gratefully. That would definitely save him a lot of time.

"Master Harry wants Muggle stationary… Tutti shall do that!" With another two pops, the little creature returned with a package of about ten notebooks and a box of black pens.

"Thanks, Tutti. You can go do whatever you need to now."

Tutti bowed before apparating elsewhere.

Harry's green eyes gleamed. The entire library was at his disposal, and according to Dumbledore, it was an extensive one. He tore open the packaging, and laid out the notebooks on a table. "History of the British Wizarding World," he enunciated clearly.

Almost immediately, books of all sizes began flying at him, landing in one neat stack on the table. Harry clapped his hands in delight. "How wonderful! Let's see… Types of magic."

"English and Japanese dictionaries." According to Dumbledore, the language he was speaking was Japanese, and though the translation spell would help with his oral communication, it would not help him with reading or writing.

Harry made a face. He would have to first learn the English language in its entirety. How tedious.

He sat down, ready to start learning English. "Requip: Gale-Force Glasses!" When he was with Jellal, Meredy and Ultear, they often visited old libraries to research Zeref, his Books and the Curse of Ankhseram. Since time was valuable, they had illegally obtained four pairs of Gale-Force Glasses to speed up their reading.

"Master Harry!"

Harry jumped almost a foot into the air. "Tutti! You scared me!"

The little elf was looking at Harry reproachfully. "Master Harry, it is 7 o'clock! Dinner is waiting!"

Blinking in surprise, Harry rubbed at his sore eyes. He had been reading for almost four hours straight, finishing a few simpler level English books with the help of his dictionary, and halfway through a large textbook on the overview of the history of the Wizarding World.

"Yeah, I should eat something," Harry agreed. He gathered up his notebooks and pens, depositing them into a bag Tutti provided him. Before they left, he quickly grabbed the book he was currently reading, intending to finish it before the day ended.

After eating a rich dinner of shepherd's pie with a salad for a side dish, Harry retired to his bedroom, flopping onto the bed and opening the large textbook.

"Master Harry should be resting soon," Tutti advised, looking slightly disapproving at how much Harry was studying. "Master Harry has already studied for four hours."

"I just need to finish this, so tomorrow I can start narrowing down the things I really need to know," Harry answered, flipping through the pages rapidly thanks to the Gale-Force Glasses.

Tutti pursed his lips, but apparated away, taking the empty dishes with him.

When Harry finished the book, titled _Overview of Wizarding Britain_ , he closed both the book and the notebook in which he had been taking notes on. There were still some phrases that escaped his understanding, but after consulting a few books on grammar and vocabulary, he was able to get the overall message of the book. "Ack, my eyes," he groaned, attempting to soothe his tired eyes. "I should go to sleep."

He stumbled to the bathroom and brushed his teeth.

Only then, when his brain was not working overdrive to absorb as much information as he could and he was alone, did Harry fully realize his situation.

He might _never_ see Ultear, Meredy and Jellal again.

Harry breathed in deeply, trying to stave off his panic and terror at the thought, but now that he wasn't busy reading, the thought plagued his mind constantly.

He let out a small whimper, curling up on the full sized bed, tears leaking out of his closed eyes. "Ultear-nee-san," he cried softly. "Meredy-nee-chan… Jellal…"

He screamed into his pillow, trying to stop his chest from hurting so badly. Was this what Jellal felt when he thought of Erza, the Fairy Tail member that had died when Acnologia attacked? Was this what Ultear felt when she remembered Gray and her mother?

His magic rose up in response to his distress, shaking the room. Harry paid no attention to the rattling furniture, preferring to press his face into the pillow and wish with all his heart that this was just a dream.

"Master Harry! Master Harry, what are you doing?" Tutti shrieked in alarm, popping into the room. "Master Harry, please calm down!"

Harry peered at the elf with red rimmed eyes and heaving breaths. "I'm sorry, Tutti," he whispered, clutching the sheets of the bed in agony. "I… I just… I miss my family!" he wailed, sobbing anew.

Tutti looked at Harry with a gentle look. "Master Harry needn't be so sad," the little elf said softly. "If Master Harry tries, Tutti believes he will be able to find his family again."

Harry tilted his head slightly at that, taking a few deep breaths to calm himself. "You're right," he said at last, eyes gleaming with a newfound determination. "It won't do for me to wallow in self-pity. I need to find a way to get back to my family."

*line break*

For the next two weeks, Harry pored over books on all sorts of things: the rise and reign of Voldemort, the history of Dumbledore, World War II and Grindelwald, British Wizarding customs, the Ministry of Magic, the Wizengamot, and Dark, Light and Ancient magicks.

It was clear that transdimensional travel was not a magic that had been discovered, but Harry refused to let that get his hopes down. No one else had the same motivations as he did. He was going to find a way to travel between dimensions because of his love for his family. He would do anything for them.

*line break*

"Master Harry! Professor Snape is arriving in ten minutes to take you to Diagon Alley to buy your school supplies," Tutti informed the boy fondly. While Harry was abnormally mature and self-disciplined for an eleven year old, he still had moments where his age shown through.

However, it was clear that the boy would need a new support system to replace his lost family; otherwise, his delicately put together composure would fall apart.

"Oh, alright! I'll get ready," Harry called back to his caretaker. "Is it casual or formal?"

"Casual, Master Harry! But not too casual; Professor Snape is going to be your teacher here," the elf responded.

"Right!" Harry flipped through his closet, picking out a dark green button up shirt and a pair of black slacks. He grabbed his messenger bag that had an extension charm placed on it, courtesy of Tutti.

When Professor Snape, a dark haired man with a large nose and a scowl, arrived, Harry bowed at the waist, as he read it was custom to do so when addressing someone of higher authority. "Professor Snape, I am grateful that you are here to bring me to Diagon Alley."

The man looked at him down the line of his nose. "It is certainly refreshing to see a Potter with proper mannerisms," the man sniffed.

Harry blinked, slightly hurt by the backhanded compliment. Despite not knowing his parents, he still loved them for loving him, and clearly this man had a problem with either his mother or his father. "Do you know my parents?" he asked levelly, trying to grasp the situation before lashing out.

Snape stared at Harry with his dark black eyes. "Yes. I did."

"I assume you dislike them, based on what you had just said," Harry replied, eyes cold. "I would like to think, however, I am my own person."

"I do not doubt you are," Snape acknowledged coolly.

The professor apparated the two to Diagon Alley, resulting in some nausea on Harry's part. "The Headmaster informed me that you have already visited Gringotts and retrieved some money."

"Yes, sir. I have the money with me," Harry confirmed politely.

"Alright, we'll go to get your robes first," Snape instructed, leading the boy to Madam Malkin's.

They entered the busy store, and an employee rushed over to address them. "For Hogwarts, sir?" the young man asked, slightly nervously as he seemed to recognize Snape.

"That is correct, Mr. Flannagan," the professor said curtly, further elevating the young man's anxiety. "I hope you do not waste my time."

Harry pitied the poor guy; Snape could be terrifying.

The young man nodded hastily. "Ah, follow me please." He led Harry over to a vacant room with a stool in the middle of it and racks of clothing lining the walls. "Alright, just throw this over your clothes, and hop on the stool."

When Harry's head emerged from the long robes with his hair tousled, the young man gave a quiet gasp. "You're Harry Potter?"

Harry gave the man a look. "Yes, I am."

"I'm sorry, I just… You-Know-Who killed my father, and when you defeated him…" the man trailed off, but Harry had gotten the gist.

The boy smiled gently and cautiously. "I'm glad I was able to help."

The older male smiled back. "I'm Taylor Flannagan by the way. It's been two years since I attended Hogwarts. You'll love it. It's amazing and the teachers are all great. Well, except for Binns…"

"Isn't he the History of Magic professor?" Harry asked.

Taylor nodded. "Yeah, you would think that that class would be the most interesting, but Binns is a _ghost_. And all he ever drones on about are the Goblin Wars. It's pretty interesting at first, but gets old pretty quickly."

"The other professors aren't like that, right?" Harry asked, worried. He would need a state-of-the-art education if he wanted to find out how to travel back home.

"Oh, definitely not. Well, I wouldn't know about Defense Against the Dark Arts," the man mused as he adjusted the robes to fit Harry better.

Blinking in confusion, Harry inquired, "Why?"

"Rumor is that You-Know-Who placed a curse on the position, so no teacher ever lasts more than a year as the DADA professor," Taylor informed Harry. "And it's true. For all seven years, I had seven different professors, and let me tell you, the quality of them just kept going down. But it makes sense, because who would want to take a job when you might die because of it?"

Harry's eyebrows shot up. "Die?"

"There's always something that happens to the professor to make them unable to teach the next year. For my second year professor, he somehow came into contact with a deadly parasite and died right before the school year ended," Taylor said, shuddering in the memory of the half eaten man.

"Oh." That didn't sound… good.

Taylor nodded sympathetically. "But besides them, Professors Flitwick, McGonagall and Snape are great. Snape's a bit strict and scary, but he's good at what he does."

"What about the electives?" At least the three of the five core course professors were competent, but Harry was very much disappointed.

"Arithmancy and Ancient Runes are difficult, but the professors are great as well. The Care of Magical Creatures… is… dangerous," Taylor said slowly, as if he were trying to find a better word to describe the class. "There are many magical creatures in this world, and some should not be approached."

Harry mentally crossed out Care of Magical Creatures in his mind. He had no desire to die before finding a way back home. "How's Divination?"

"I didn't take Divination, but I know for a fact that Trelawney is a fraud," Taylor said bluntly. "She's predicted, rather inaccurately, the deaths of ten students so far. She just loves the drama it creates."

Harry made a face. "I guess Care and Divination are not for me then."

"Both are easy classes if you want an easy class, but yeah, Arithmancy and Ancient Runes are probably the most useful," Taylor agreed.

"What about Alchemy or the Ancient Arts?" Harry inquired curiously.

Taylor peered at the younger boy with surprise. "Those two were taken off of Hogwarts' curriculum years ago by the Ministry. Alchemy is pretty dangerous, since a student once accidentally transformed their legs into a block of gold. But the Ministry spewed some crap about the Ancient Arts being too 'dark' or something." Clearly he did not approve of what the Ministry had done.

Harry pursed his lips in dismay. Was Hogwarts truly a prestigious school then?

"Well, I'm done. You'd better go up to the front to pay, before Professor Snape loses his patience," Taylor said conspiratorially. "I'll send your robes up to the front."

"Right, thanks!" Harry shed the adjusted robe and handed them to Taylor.

Taylor waved him goodbye. "Have fun at Hogwarts! You can owl me anytime for help if you ever need it!"

Harry smiled at him as he left the room and went to pay for his stuff. Professor Snape was waiting in the lobby, holding a bag of books. "Are those the textbooks needed for my first year, sir?" Harry inquired politely.

Snape nodded. "That is correct, along with your Potions supplies."

"Could we go to the bookstore again after shopping for everything else?" Harry asked, wanting to buy some new books to read.

"If there is time," Snape acquiesced. "Now, we should go buy your wand."

Harry's eyes lit up. He had always been fascinated by Holder magic, but its limitations were too great for Ultear to ever let him depend on it. "Do all wizards use wands?"

"Yes."

"Is it necessary to have a wand to perform magic?" Harry pressed. Everything he'd read about required the use of a wand, no matter how little. For example, runes only required a wand to activate them, but for spell casting, it seemed that wands were imperative.

"For most wizards. There are some, like the Headmaster, that are powerful enough to perform some simpler spells wandlessly," Snape answered.

They walked up to a quaint little shop at the corner of the Alley. It had a mysterious sort of feel to it, and the magic around it was so thick that Harry felt a bit light-headed.

"Ah, Professor Snape! How wonderful to see you again," the old man at the counter greeted. His eyes fell upon Harry. "Ah, Mr. Potter. I have been waiting for your arrival here." There was a faraway look in his eyes. "I still can remember your parents coming in here to buy their wands."

"Yes, yes, Mr. Ollivander," Snape cut in, looking impatient.

Ollivander smiled. "Alright then. Mr. Potter, which hand is your wand hand?"

Harry held out his right arm, remembering that wizards called their dominant hands their 'wand' hands. A measuring tape flew up to meet his arm, measuring the length, width and height of it.

Taking his eyes off of the measuring tape, Harry blinked at Ollivander, who was looking through a mess of long, thin boxes.

"Alright, that's enough," Ollivander said absentmindedly. The measuring tape that had been measuring the width of Harry's nostrils dropped to the ground. "Here! Ten inches, dragon heartstring and applewood! Give it a wave."

Harry took it into his hands and waved it. Nothing happened. "Uh…"

Ollivander snatched it out of his hands. "Here: thirteen inches, unicorn hair and beech."

The wand gave one pathetic spark before fizzling out.

"Thirteen inches, phoenix feather and cypress."

There was a bigger spark, but Harry still felt no connection to it.

Twenty minutes later, Snape was standing near the entrance of the store with an impatient, yet curious, scowl. Ollivander, on the other hand, was practically leaping with delight. "Such a tricky customer! Maybe… oh yes… that would work nicely, I believe." He disappeared into the back of his store, and he could be heard rummaging through boxes.

"Here, Mr. Potter. Thirteen inches, dragon heartstring and a combination of yew and ebony," Ollivander said softly, eyes gleaming with excitement.

Snape straightened, gazing at the wand Ollivander was about to hand Harry Potter. The moment it touched the boy's hand, blinding white sparks shot out of the wand and the room warmed considerably.

Harry grinned widely, unaware of the hidden meanings behind his wand components. "Woah! That was so cool!"

Ollivander peered at Harry with apprehension. Snape had stepped closer, eyes wide and mind reeling with what had just happened. "Very curious, Mr. Potter," Ollivander said finally, after a long moment of silence.

Harry blinked. "Is there something wrong?"

"I remember every wand I've ever sold, Mr. Potter," the old man said slowly.

"And…?" Harry urged, trying not to be rude, but feeling quite disconcerted with the intensity of the two men's stares.

"The man who gave you your scar had a thirteen inch wand as well, and it was made out of yew. But not just from any yew tree. Your wands share the wood from the same tree," Ollivander revealed.

"...oh," Harry whispered, shocked. "What does that mean?" he asked urgently, looking at the wandmaker. "What does that mean?"

"It means that you will be destined for greatness, Mr. Potter. Thirteen inches is quite long for a wand, indicating adaptability and willingness to change. Yew represents power, life and death, and possibly the fierce protection of others. It is quite handy for combative magics. Ebony is as well, along with a penchant for Transfiguration. It also means unyielding in one's pursuit of their goals." Ollivander appraised Harry. "You have potential for greatness. You can change the world, Mr. Potter. It only depends on you for how you change it."

Harry stared back at the old man, mulling over his words. He could change this world, but Harry didn't want this world. He wanted Earthland. He wanted his family.

"That'll be fifteen galleons, Mr. Potter," Ollivander said suddenly, as if just remembering that he was supposed to sell the wand rather than just give it away.

Handing over the right amount of money, Harry left the store dazedly with Snape. The older man was silent, a curious expression on his face, as he led the boy to Flourish and Blotts.

Harry wandered around the bookstore, distracting himself with the books. He stopped, peering closer to a book named _Ancient Arts and Their Impact on the World_. That would be an interesting read, he presumed, and picked up the book. He was skimming the first chapter when he accidentally bumped into a tall, redheaded boy. "Oh, I'm sorry!" he apologized, looking up.

"That's fine! Just make sure to keep your head out of a book when walking," the boy added, grinning. "It'll probably hurt more if you walked into a wall than a person."

Harry flushed slightly, and smiled back. "Yeah, that's some sound advice."

The boy laughed. "First year, I presume?"

"Yeah, how'd you know?" Harry asked, slightly aware that he was metaphorically walking into a trap.

"Cause of your height. You're short," the boy jibed, face full of good natured mirth.

Harry made an annoyed sound, pouting. "I'm not short! I am of average height, you know! You're just too tall!"

Before the redhead could say anything more, a similar voice called out from the entrance of the store, "Hey, George, we're leaving soon!"

The boy, George, straightened. "Ah, I must take my departure now," he said dramatically, bowing and saluting Harry. "See you at Hogwarts!"

Harry smiled after him, waving. "See you!"

"I see you have met one of the infamous Weasley twins," Snape drawled, walking towards Harry. "What books have you picked out?"

"Just two: _Ancient Arts and Their Impact on the World_ , and _Numbers and Their Meanings_ ," Harry replied, gesturing to the two books held under his arm.

"That's all?" the professor asked, before leading Harry to the counter.

"30 Galleons, please," the woman at the counter said after taking a look at the two books.

Harry dutifully pulled out his wallet and handed over 30 Galleons. "Thank you!" he called out as they left the store.

The professor apparated them back to Hogwarts. "At the Headmaster's request, another staff member will be taking you to Platform 9 ¾ on September 1st."

"Okay!" Harry nodded. It would draw quite a bit of attention if people knew he was staying at Hogwarts over the summer, and clearly the Headmaster wanted him to socialize with his soon-to-be peers. "Goodbye, Professor! Thank you!"

The man inclined his head in acknowledgement before leaving.

 **So how is it? Did Harry learn English way too quickly? I wasn't too happy that I'd made language into an impairment, but with his Gale-Force Reading Glasses, he'd be able to retain knowledge a lot faster. Of course, he still doesn't know very complicated English and consults his dictionary and other books for help when he needs it.**

 **Also, how was Snape? I'm not very good at writing him... He's such a complicated character!**

 **Please review!**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N Hello! Thank you all sooo much for the wonderful reviews, favorites and follows! They make me so happy! And thanks to my beta,** Impractical Demon **, and a reviewer that has been great help in tempering my writing and making sure that it is realistic,** Darth-Vulturnus. **Thanks to both of you awesome people!**

 **Here's the third chapter, and sorry for the delay... I thought things would get better after midterms, but no... so much work... No rest for the weary... :( But some of it's fun so not too bad!**

 **Heh sorry for rambling on about myself...**

 **Enjoy! And leave a review while you're at it!**

"Headmaster, there is something you should know," Snape said curtly as he walked into the Headmaster's office, where Dumbledore was settling in for the new school year.

The old man turned his head around to look at Snape. "Yes? Have you finally realized how wonderful lemon drops are?"

Snape restrained himself from facepalming. "No," he deadpanned. "I have not. It's about Harry Potter."

"Oh? Something about Mr. Potter?" Dumbledore repeated, raising an eyebrow. His eyes were twinkling again, Snape thought with annoyance. "Do tell."

"His wand. It's _thirteen_ inches, dragon heartstring and a combination between ebony and _yew_ from the same tree that _his_ wand was made out of," Snape said, hiding his anxiety well.

Dumbledore paused. "Oh? That's… unexpected."

"Aren't you worried?" Snape demanded, scowling.

"Oh, yes, I am," the older man admitted. "But I know exactly what yew and ebony symbolize, and any attempts at manipulating the boy will destroys the seeds of trust before they can even bloom."

*line break*

"Hello! You must be Professor Quirrell! It's a pleasure to meet you," Harry greeted his to-be teacher politely. When he straightened from his bow, he appraised the professor, seeking to assess his competency. Suddenly, however, there was sharp pain on his forehead, and he winced, reaching up to press his hand against it.

The young professor peered at the boy in concern. "M-Mr. Potter? A-Are you a-alright?"

"Ah, yeah, sorry," Harry replied, smoothing out his expression. He was quite skeptical of the man's competency, seeing that he couldn't even talk without seeming frightened out of his wits, but then again, Kain was one of the Kin despite his speech impairments. "Thank you very much for agreeing to bring me to Platform 9 ¾."

"Oh, it's n-no p-problem," the man said, attempting to sound lighthearted, but only conveying nervousness with his stutter, waving off Harry's thanks. "I d-don't have m-much to d-do anyway."

"If you don't mind, Professor, I would like to ask some questions about Defense Against the Dark Arts," Harry requested, adjusting his trunk in his hands, as they walked out of Hogwarts, heading towards the edge of its boundaries, so that they could apparate.

Quirrell glanced at him curiously. "Of c-course you c-can."

"I was wondering how the Dark Arts are defined," Harry inquired. "The way the books describe it is quite vague." Earthland had Lost Magic and the Black Arts as a parallel to how this world treated their Dark Arts, but Harry was still unsure what the Dark Arts truly were. Were they simply just too powerful? Or did they trifle with life and death like the Black Arts that Zeref dabbled in?

"Oh? Th-that's an i-interesting question, M-Mr. Potter," Quirrell commented, raising an eyebrow. "What d-do you think the D-Dark Arts are?"

Harry creased his brows in thought. "Well, from what I've read so far, they seem to have many attributes, such as causing harm to others and the like, but there is only one aspect of the Dark Arts that I think truly describes what it is." When Quirrell motioned for him to go on, Harry explained hesitantly, "I think the Dark Arts are magics that are addictive. They suck you in, and once you're in, it's practically impossible to get back out."

Quirrell nodded a few times pensively. "That's an i-interesting p-perspective. So d-do you think i-it is r-right to sh-shun the D-Dark Arts?"

Harry tilted his head to the side, swinging his arms as he walked. "Well, I certainly wouldn't want to give up control over myself, but occasional use of it during emergencies should be alright. The world isn't filled with just unicorns and rainbows."

"Y-you're correct i-in your a-assessment of the D-Dark Arts. H-however, the M-Ministry of M-Magic has c-classified other m-magics as D-Dark despite n-not being addictive," Quirrell said as they reached the edge of Hogwarts' boundaries. "Ah, we h-here. Just g-grab onto m-my arm and d-don't let g-go."

Harry nodded, placing his hand on the professor's thick sleeve and gripped hard as he was subjected yet again to a nauseating, and unexpectedly painful, apparition. Once they arrived at Platform 9 ¾ without drawing too much attention to themselves, much to Harry's relief, the professor quickly yanked his arm out of Harry's grip. The boy gave the professor a quick glance before bounding towards the train in childish delight, eager to meet kids his own age.

"G-goodbye, Mr. P-Potter," Quirrell said, bidding the boy goodbye.

Harry waved to the nice professor absentmindedly. He looked around, and noticed the number of people around. Jaw tightening, he realized that they were all students with their families here to see them off. He tried to ignore the pain in his heart, blinking back tears. Everything would be okay. He would see his family again.

He boarded the train, carrying his trunk in two hands. "Where to sit…" he murmured, looking around. "Aha!" He opened an empty compartment and entered it. He blinked, staring at his trunk and then staring at the storage area on the overhead. "Uhh…" he trailed off, unsure of how he was going to get such a heavy thing up there.

"Heya! You're that boy whose head was buried in a book!" a familiar voice called out behind Harry.

He turned around, eye twitching at the description. And then he blinked. "I'm seeing double," he said to himself.

"That's the first sign of insanity," one of the redheads informed Harry.

He gave them a deadpan look. "I guess it takes one to know one."

The other ginger guffawed. "Say, I didn't get your name last time," the redhead on the right said, looking at Harry expectantly.

Harry raised an eyebrow. "We didn't meet last time," he replied smoothly.

The two gingers blinked. "What?" George, the one on the left, demanded disbelievingly.

"Well, I mean, your voice is more of a countertenor, George, while your twin's is a tenor. Not much of a difference really, but enough," Harry explained. "Do people often mix you two up? It's understandable really, but it just depends on how observant you are."

There was a moment of silence before the two redheads burst into laughter, tinged with a bit of hysteria. "Pfffft, he says they only need to be _observant_ ," the twin that was not George choked out in between peals of laughter.

Harry blinked at them, before remembering his dilemma. "If you two are quite done, would you mind helping me get my trunk up there?" he asked, pointing upwards.

George was the first to recover from their hysterics, heaving for air. "Oh, yeah, sure," he answered breathlessly.

Once both gingers had regained their composure, they hefted Harry's trunk into the storage unit with little difficulty. "The name's Fred Weasley," the ginger who was not George said, introducing himself.

Harry smiled at them. "I'm Harry Potter."

Blink. Blink. " _The_ Harry Potter?" George repeated, eyes wide.

"Yes, my name is Harry Potter," Harry said again, sighing internally. "Though it'd be great if you'd stop gaping at me."

Fred closed his mouth abruptly. "Yes, yes, well, Harry, if you ever need some pranking done, don't be afraid to call us," the redhead said, winking as they left.

Harry blinked. Did they just offer their allegiance to him? Or was he just overthinking it? He remembered all the politics he'd picked up when Ultear was preparing for her stunt as a councilwoman, and then recalled the information he'd read about this world's government. If the twins were somewhat knowledgeable about politics, they would understand the significance of that.

Closing the compartment door behind him, Harry sat down, steepling his fingers in front of him. He needed to think, to plan, to get his act together. He couldn't just randomly make friends with students on the train. He needed to pick out those who would benefit him in his pursuit of his goal. And to do that, he would need to observe his classmates before making any decisions.

Harry nodded resolutely to himself. He would play nice with everyone until he could gauge their worth. Then it would be time to start making alliances.

He leaned back comfortably into his seat, and opened his book.

*line break*

Harry started in surprise, looking up to see a girl with bushy brown hair outside of his compartment. Her hand was raised, as if to knock again. He stood up, and opened the door. "Yes? How may I help you?" he asked, raising an eyebrow inquisitively.

"I was just wondering if you'd seen a toad around here?" she asked, holding his gaze.

He blinked. "A toad? No, I don't think I have. If you were looking for one, maybe you should go to the prefects. There should be a sort of summoning spell right?"

The girl perked up, nodding quickly. "Of course! Why didn't I think of that?" And she turned around quickly, dashing off towards the prefects' compartment.

Harry watched, slightly bemused, before returning to his reading.

*line break*

Despite the fact that he had been living at Hogwarts for about a month now, Harry was still awestruck by the beauty and majesty of the castle, especially at night, with the torches illuminating the building with an eerie grandness. Of course, he was pretending to approach the castle for the first time now.

The other boy in the boat, Blaise Zabini, was also staring at Hogwarts with awe and amazement in his dark olive eyes. "Wow," the boy breathed. "My parents said Hogwarts was beautiful, but I didn't think it would be this amazing!"

Harry nodded in agreement. "I've never seen anything quite like it before."

"Mhmm," Blaise responded, still gazing at Hogwarts reverently. "So what House do you want to be placed in?"

That seemed to be a common conversation starter for first years who did not know each other.

"I don't know really… Maybe Ravenclaw?" Harry answered, shrugging. He'd be surrounded by intelligent, knowledge-seeking people, and he would also be open to making friends in both Gryffindor and Slytherin. Hufflepuff would work too actually.

Blaise inclined his head. "That'd be a nice place if you really liked books and knowledge. But most people are expecting Harry Potter to go to Gryffindor."

Harry blinked. "Oh, that's strange. How would they know if they don't know me?" he asked curiously.

"Your parents were both in Gryffindor, and most students end up in the House their parents were in. And you defeated You-Know-Who, who was in Slytherin, so apparently you must be in Gryffindor," Blaise explained, sounding a touch skeptical and disdainful.

Harry agreed with Blaise's scorn. "The first reason seems somewhat logical, seeing that you're raised by your parents, but I don't know my parents. But the second reason? That's just really ridiculous," he said, shaking his head.

Blaise grinned at that, eyeing Harry with interest. "I second that."

"Do you know how they're going to Sort us?" Harry asked curiously. That was one thing Tutti refused to tell him. And surprisingly, none of the books he had read talked about how the Sorting happened.

"I have no idea. My mom refused to tell me, saying that 'it's a surprise' and was part of some rite of passage," Blaise admitted, looking a bit peeved himself. "I'm kind of nervous."

Harry nodded in agreement.

After entering the school, and then being ushered into the Great Hall by Professor McGonagall, the first years stood in a line, waiting nervously, jittering with the uncontained energy of younger children. Harry peered around bodies, trying to see what would be Sorting them.

To his great astonishment, sitting on a wooden stool was a ragged old hat. He blinked. What was—

Oh my.

The hat had ripped itself apart in the middle, and started to belt out a song. Harry gaped at it, expression similar to those of his peers. That was certainly not expected.

"I will now be calling out names in alphabetical order, and once your name is called, please come up here to be Sorted," Professor McGonagall instructed firmly, before looking down at her list of names. "Abbott, Hannah!"

A small girl with dark blond hair and a set of large grey eyes nervously walked towards the stool.

"HUFFLEPUFF!"

A table of students wearing yellow and black burst into applause, warmly welcoming the small first year into their midst.

Harry watched carefully, making sure to try to remember every child's name, face and House.

He saw the bushy haired girl he met on the train be Sorted into Gryffindor, though her Sorting took quite a bit longer than the others, he observed, especially the blond boy, Draco Malfoy, who was Sorted into Slytherin in less than a second.

Harry thought that was very strange. How would an eleven year old child have a personality so obviously sly and cunning that it would take the Hat only a second to Sort him? Most people would have a varying number of personality traits, right? They wouldn't just be cunning, without any intelligence, because Harry was pretty sure that would be very unlikely. People could be cunning, loyal, intelligent and brave at the same time. Maybe the Hat took into consideration what House the child wanted to be placed in or what personality trait the child valued the most?

"Potter, Harry!"

The boy glanced up, startled out of his thoughts. He stepped forward, walking towards the Hat, aware of the whisperings around him.

" _The_ Harry Potter?"

"...I thought he'd be a bit taller and broader. Not that he's short, but… he's not very hero-like."

Harry nearly snorted. Hero-like? How absurd. If they knew of his affiliations with a guild as dark as Grimoire Heart, they'd be accusing him of being the next Dark Lord.

He reached the seat, and sat down, the Hat plopping down on his head.

 _How interesting!_

Harry stiffened, blinking in shock. _Hello?_ he thought.

 _What a story you have in your little brain, Mr. Potter._ Sensing the boy's fears of having his world found out by others, the Hat reassured him, _No worries, Mr. Potter. I am sworn to secrecy, and cannot tell anyone else what I have seen in anyone's mind._

Harry sighed silently in relief. _So which House am I going to be in?_

 _Hmmm… Definitely not Ravenclaw… You are intelligent, but you do not have the Ravenclaws' intense desire for knowledge. From what I can see, you would do best in either Hufflepuff, for your loyalty towards your family, or Slytherin, because your greatest desire is to protect and return to your family. And my, what ruthlessness you possess,_ the Hat mused.

 _I would do anything for my family,_ Harry thought with determination. He would do _anything._

The Hat perked up at that. _Anything? Are you sure?_

Harry nodded mentally. _I would burn down the world for them._

 _Such dedication,_ the Hat whispered, almost reverently. _In that case, maybe you will be the one to repair frayed House relations with your ambitions._ "SLYTHERIN!"

Plucking the Hat off of his head, Harry peered at the silent Hall. There were looks of disbelief, shock, dismay and delight. He caught Blaise's eyes, and the corners of the Italian boy's lips quirked upwards.

Giving the Hat back to a shellshocked Professor McGonagall, Harry set off towards the table with students clad in green. He sat down gracefully, flashing a polite smile at his new housemates, who were slowly getting over their shock. "Hello!" he said cheerfully, before turning back to pay attention to the Sorting, aware of the quiet whisperings of the Slytherins around him.

After Blaise was Sorted into Slytherin, the Headmaster rose to his feet. "The very best of evenings to you all! Now, before we begin our banquet, I would like to say a few words. Nitwit! Blubber! Oddment! Tweak! Thank you." He sat down, and as if that was a cue, plates of food suddenly appeared on the tables.

Harry blinked at the strange words that the Headmaster had strung together, before preparing himself to deal with his housemates. "Hey, Blaise," he greeted cordially.

The Italian smirked at him. "I thought you said Ravenclaw?"

Harry shrugged. "The Hat didn't quite agree." He piled some potatoes and steak onto his plate, reaching over for the salad.

"You're the Boy Who Lived though," a dark eyed girl with a pug-like face, who he recognized as Pansy Parkinson, said slowly.

Said boy raised an eyebrow. "And?"

"You're supposed to be in Gryffindor," Theodore Nott, a gangly boy with dark auburn hair, answered, staring at Harry. "Any House but Slytherin."

Harry blinked. "Really? I didn't realize there were restrictions on which Houses a student could be Sorted into. No one told me that," he said, a bit too innocently.

"Oh, no, they just assumed you'd be the Gryffindor Golden Boy," Blaise informed him in a mocking tone that matched Harry's.

"Well, I'll have to disappoint then," the Boy Who Lived said apologetically.

Draco Malfoy smirked. "Pleasure to meet you, Potter."

Harry smiled back. "You all can call me Harry. I'm not used to being addressed by my last name."

"If you don't mind me asking, who did you grow up with? After the Fall of the Dark Lord, you practically vanished off the face of the Wizarding World," Draco asked.

The nearby Slytherins quieted, and looked to Harry curiously.

The black haired boy looked pensive. Should he answer Draco? And what would he say? He definitely was not going to say _Oh, I was teleported to another world, where I joined a Dark Guild named Grimoire Heart and then got teleported back here._ "I lived in Muggle Japan," he answered.

The Slytherins all blinked in unison. " _Japan_?" Theodore repeated disbelievingly.

Harry nodded, refraining from laughing at the looks of incredulity on his housemates' faces. "Yeah, I don't know how I ended up in Japan, but I did."

"So, how do you like Britain so far?" a blond girl inquired.

"Well, there's a lot more clouds and rain," Harry replied, recalling the bright blue skies of Fiore. "And a bit colder, but it's nice. Especially Hogwarts. Hogwarts is amazing."

The girl, Daphne Greengrass, nodded emphatically. "Mother and Father often told me about how wonderful this place was, but I never understood what they meant until seeing it myself."

Millicent Bulstrode, who had dark brown hair and was slightly chubby, agreed. "Hogwarts is the grandest castle in all of Britain."

"My mother actually wanted me to go to Durmstrang," Draco informed them. "Because she didn't want me to be so close to Dumbledore."

Pansy rolled her eyes. "Dumbledore is probably the only obstacle to Hogwarts' true greatness, but I think your mother's sentiment is shared among all of our parents."

Harry tilted his head to the side questioningly. "What's wrong with the Headmaster?"

"He's just so disgustingly pro-Light," Millicent answered, shuddering.

There it was again. The conflict between Light and Dark. Harry frowned internally, and mentally made a note to dig deeper into that and find out what each side truly was.

*line break*

Harry decided that being in Slytherin wasn't bad. The people were nice, if a bit cold and suspicious, but if the things Harry read were true, they had plenty of reason to be so. To be honest, many of his fellow housemates reminded him of Jellal, who was viewed as a nefarious villain because of the Tower of Heaven incident, but in reality, was a good hearted man.

Jellal… Harry breathed in, refocusing on his breakfast. He desperately attempted to forget how much he _missed_ his family, and how _lonely_ he suddenly felt.

He… he wanted to feel the comfort and safety of having his family around him. Harry glanced to his right, where Blaise was eating his breakfast. It would so nice to have someone who he could confide in… it would be so nice if he didn't have to be lonely… Harry straightened, mentally shaking his head. No! He had to be strong, had to be alone, because he could not let his home, his family, be placed into danger if some unsavory character found out about the existence of another world.

Harry forked some eggs into his mouth, perusing the schedule that had just been handed to him by a prefect. He frowned. The schedule seemed a bit sparse, but at least that meant he had a lot of time to study up on runes and arithmancy during his leisure time. He did read in _Hogwarts: A History_ that those classes only started during your third year, but Harry definitely did not want to wait that long.

"First thing is Charms with the Ravenclaws," Blaise commented idly. "Not bad. All four houses for Astronomy, and only two other classes with the Gryffindors. I heard that Dumbledore once tried to promote friendly inter-House relations by pairing the Gryffindors with us Slytherins for more than half of our classes."

Harry raised an eyebrow. "He was clearly going about it the wrong way."

The other boy smirked. "The other professors forced him to change the scheduling after the first few days of school."

"It's impossible to change House relations anyway," Pansy sniffed, daintily slicing up her toast. "Those Gryffindors will always hate us. They claim that we are the bullies, but in reality, it is always them who do not give us a chance to be anything else but a bully."

"And their Muggle-loving ways will never be compatible with our Pureblood traditions," Draco added, eyeing the redheaded Weasleys.

Harry was silent as he considered what his two housemates had just said. He felt a bit confused. "Wait, why can't a wizard who's more sympathetic towards Muggles be ambitious?"

"Harry, what are you talking about?" Daphne asked, puzzled. The others also seemed confused by his question.

The green eyed boy frowned. "Well, isn't Slytherin the House of the cunning and ambitious? This might be because I didn't grow up here and therefore am not familiar with your culture, but it sounded like those who were sympathetic towards Muggles couldn't be in Slytherin and those who are more traditional couldn't be in Gryffindor, and I'm pretty sure these Houses are indicative of our personalities, not our ideologies."

His fellow first years looked shellshocked. Harry blinked at them. Had they never thought about that?

After a long moment of silence, Harry said tentatively, "Guys?"

Theodore was the first to respond. "Harry, that… it's…" He glanced at the others for some help.

Draco spoke up this time, looking slightly dazed. "While what you're saying is true, there's a lot of people out there who truly believe that the Houses, especially Gryffindor and Slytherin, indicate some sort of political tendencies." He looked a bit resigned. "To them, Slytherin always houses the ones who will eventually follow or become a Dark Lord."

Pansy bristled at that, opening her mouth to protest that _she_ didn't mind those expectations, but before she could say anything, Harry said thoughtfully, "That's what other people might think, but you don't need to listen to them. You choose your own path, regardless of what others think." He recalled how Jellal, Meredy and Ultear would forever be seen as villains or untrustworthy because of their past, and despite that, they persevered in their goal to atone for their sins.

Blaise leaned in, a curious gleam in his hazel eyes. "What is your path then, Harry?"

The other Slytherins also leaned closer, eyes glinting. Harry was sure this was some sort of test, and his answer mattered a lot. "My path?" he repeated pensively. "I want to protect the people I love. That's all."

"That's it?" Pansy asked, a little disappointed. "That's not very ambitious."

Harry shrugged. "I don't care about ambition. I'd just do anything to make sure the people I care about are safe."

Daphne's interest was piqued. "Anything?" she repeated, staring at him intently.

He bared his teeth in a semblance of a wide grin. "Anything."

*line break*

After the first month or so, Harry decided there were many classes that were either very boring or intolerable. Professor Binns had to be the most monotonous and lifeless, no pun intended, teacher ever. His classes were not worth attending, and Harry planned on going to the library instead to further his extra studies. Herbology was not boring per se and Professor Sprout was a pleasant teacher, but it just didn't appeal to him. Harry also did not like Astronomy that much seeing that they had to stay up almost the entire night. Late nights were not something Harry enjoyed.

Then there were the classes that he truly appreciated, like Defense Against the Dark Arts, Transfiguration and Charms. Many students complained about Professor Quirrel's incessant stuttering, but after knowing Kain, who could not speak properly for his life, for so long, Harry was used to deciphering impaired speech and Quirrel really was a good teacher who knew what he was doing. Professor McGonagall and Flitwick were both very good at teaching, even if the former was a bit strict.

However, there was one class that Harry was unsure how to feel about: Potions. Professor Snape was a Potions genius and clearly knew what he doing, but for some reason, it was as if the professor had something against him, which was strange because they had gotten along quite well in Diagon Alley.

The professor did not show any obvious signs of dislike in class, since it was a rule that Slytherins had to be unified in public, but Harry could detect more subtle gestures, like how Snape refused to look or talk to him unless necessary.

Even Harry's housemates had picked up on that.

"Hey, Harry, why does Snape never look at or talk to you?" Blaise asked quietly one day, in the library.

Harry shrugged. "Who knows? Professor Snape was the one who took me to Diagon Alley, and we got along okay there."

The other boy frowned. "That's really weird."

Shrugging again, Harry turned the page of his runes book. "As long as it doesn't disturb the way he teaches, it doesn't bother me."

Blaise nodded, before peering at Harry's book. "Harry, I've been wanting to ask you this: why in the name of Merlin are you reading a book on Ancient Runes? We're only in our first year!"

"The curriculum is too slow," Harry answered truthfully. He had gone over the syllabus and outline for all seven years of schooling, and realized that if he stayed at Hogwarts all year round, he could finish his schooling in four years. He definitely did not want to waste three years doing nothing when he could be officially starting his research for transdimensional travel. The one thing that Harry did not want to do was to waste time. Who knew what would happen in the future? What if something happened to his family and he wasn't there to protect them? He was racing against time.

"Wow, I think the Hat really should have considered placing you in Ravenclaw," Blaise laughed, but did not pry.

Harry smiled along with his housemate, who he had decided was a good ally to have. Blaise was intelligent, witty and a quick thinker. "You should think about studying ahead too," Harry commented idly. "First year is our least busy year, so why not take advantage of that?"

Blaise squinted at him. "Why though? Are you planning on graduating early or something?"

"Why not?" Harry retorted. "Why wouldn't you want to graduate early if you can?"

Blinking, Blaise gestured nonsensically with his hands. "Well… I mean, no one really does that though," he finished lamely.

Harry raised an eyebrow at him. "And?"

"Fine!" Blaise caved in. "Where do I start?"

*line break*

Harry had also branched out into other Houses, and was surprisingly successful, seeing how other people regarded Slytherins. But, he reasoned, their acceptance of him was probably because they were mostly comprised of muggleborns who had no deeply rooted prejudices so far.

The first was a thin Hufflepuff boy with sandy blond hair named Wayne Hopkins. Harry had observed that Wayne was a bit too indifferent at times, but when you gained his loyalty, he was as fierce as a lion and cunning as a snake in his defense of you.

So Harry approached him.

"Hello! You must be Wayne Hopkins! I'm Harry," he introduced cheerfully.

The boy, who was sitting alone at a library table, stiffened. He lifted his head to look at Harry with a bored and slightly defensive expression. "How may I help you?" His tone was polite, but also clearly said _go away_.

Harry blinked in surprise. The boy was broken. Clearly he'd have to change his approach to be something more truthful and frank then. "I just wanted to ask if you would want to be my friend."

Wayne's eyes widened slightly in surprise, before narrowing in suspicion. "Why? You're Harry Potter, the Boy Who Lived. Why would you want to ask me that?"

"Because you're different from other people," Harry said. He ignored the boy's scoff and continued. "You're indifferent to most people and things that happen around you, but you're also very loyal to the people you care about and you aren't afraid of using all of the resources at your disposal to help them." Harry leaned across the table. "Most people underestimate you because it seems like you don't care about anything, but you're more than just a Hufflepuff. You're as brave as a Gryffindor, smart as a Ravenclaw and sly as a Slytherin when it comes to helping the people you're loyal to." Similar to Harry himself, actually. "That's what I want in a friend."

Wayne blinked at Harry, utterly shellshocked.

"You… how do you know so much about me?" Wayne demanded, a frightened expression on his face. No, that was the wrong description; he looked _vulnerable_.

"I observe everyone," Harry admitted. "And you stood out the most to me. So I continued observing you above the rest." He extended one hand towards Wayne. "Will you be my friend?"

The Hufflepuff gazed at Harry with an almost reverent light in his blue eyes, and slowly, almost disbelievingly, reached out with his own hand to take Harry's. "Yes," he whispered tremulously. "I want to be your friend."


	4. Author's Note

Okay, I'm really, really, really sorry about all this not updating business, but I've been really busy with the end of junior year with APs and finals and all that jazz. This, unfortunately, is also not an update... I'm away at summer camp for a month, and will not be able to write much... And then... I'm going to start college applications... I might be able to squeeze some updates in, but no guarantees at all. I'm really stressed, and also I have no inspiration at all, so I guess this story will be put on hiatus until the start of 2018. I am really so sorry for this...

If any of you want to write a spin-off of this story, that's fine, as long as you give me credit of course.

So have a great summer and I apologize again!


End file.
